


Thanksgiving Day Adventures

by Starfire_Wildheart



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-23
Updated: 2016-11-23
Packaged: 2018-09-01 16:49:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8631439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starfire_Wildheart/pseuds/Starfire_Wildheart
Summary: AU where Rick and Daryl end up cooking dinner for their friends and family. This fic was born from a conversation I had about my adventures in cooking with an incredible lack of sleep. Hope you all get a chuckle out of it!





	

“Do you need anything outta here?” Daryl asked. “Rick?” He still got no answer and shook his head laughing. “Grimes, would you stop starin at my ass and answer me!”

 

“Wha?” Rick was startled and nearly dropped the potato he was holding. “I wasn’t staring I was, uh. Fine maybe I was staring but it’s such an amazing ass,” he smirked. “In fact,” he walked over to his boyfriend and gave him a quick kiss and reached around to grab the afore mentioned ass.

 

“Hey, stop that!” Daryl swatted his hand and pushed him away, playfully. “We have a dinner to fix thanks to you,” he mock glared at him.

 

“It’s not my fault,” he sighed. “I just mentioned that it would be nice if someone in the neighborhood would cook a holiday meal so she could have a break. I didn’t say we would do it she just assumed that’s what I meant and by the time I realized what was happening it was too late to stop it.”

 

“Uh huh,” Daryl nodded skeptically. He loved teasing Rick like this. He didn’t mind cooking at all. If he were honest it was one of the highlights of his day getting to spend time with Rick just doing domestic things. He’d never gotten to do anything like this before. His family never celebrated anything besides the opening of a bottle of booze. When he met Rick last year he never thought they would still be together. Daryl Dixon didn’t settle down and he wasn’t boyfriend material especially to a man with two kids. Yet here he was, one year later helping his boyfriend prepare a Thanksgiving dinner and he fucking loved it.

 

Rick stepped up behind Daryl, who was getting the strainer down from the cabinet and wrapped his arms around his waist kissing his neck softly. “I have no idea what I’m doing. I have never cooked a turkey in my life. What did I get us into?”

 

“I take it Lori did all the cookin’?” He leaned back resting against Rick’s broad chest.

 

“God no,” he laughed. “She burned damn near everything she touched. We’d go to my parents every holiday until my mom passed two years ago. Last year Carol and Sophia finally left Ed they didn’t want to be alone so they came over here and cooked. She’s been amazing about helping take care of things after Lori went off the deep end.”

 

It suddenly dawned on Daryl that Rick was trying to start a new tradition for his kids and friends. They had all lost people they loved over the past couple of years and with those losses came a loss of tradition. For Rick tradition was important. It was something that held the family together, to look forward too and a time to honor family and friends including those who had gone on. A new tradition that included him. Daryl would do everything he could to help Rick make it perfect.

 

“Ok is the turkey defrosted?” Daryl asked.

 

“I think. It’s in the fridge.”

 

“Get it out and put it in the sink,” Daryl instructed as he went to preheat the oven.

 

Once they had the turkey in the sink Daryl took a knife and removed the wrapper. “Ok, first we gotta get the giblet bag out.”

 

“Um, how?” Rick looked at the big turkey like it was going to get out of the sink and flop at him.

 

Daryl chuckled. “Stick your hand in there and grab them. They are in a bag so it will come out whole.”

 

Rick stepped close to the sink and worked his hand into the cavity of the turkey. It was a very tight fit, the legs were trussed tight and it made the cavity hard to get too. “Sorry man,” he patted the bird. “Just relax dude and let me have em then it will be over.”

 

Daryl snorted with laughter. “Are you talking to the turkey?”

 

Rick blushed a little. “Well I’m practically fisting it I figured it at least deserved an apology.” Just as he said that his hand pressed through the opening and into the cavity of the bird making a squelching sound. He tried not to laugh, really he did but the sounds and the feeling around his hand just sent a wave of boyish giggles through him. Every time he tried to grab the bag of giblets it would make that noise again. “Damn it! I can’t get it. It’s hung on something.”

 

Daryl was laughing so hard he couldn’t catch his breath and Rick’s giggling made it even worse. “Just move your hand until you can wrap it around the sack and pull.”

 

“Eww it’s all gross and squishy man,” Rick groaned. “Why is this even, I mean, I just..”

 

“Jesus I didn’t realize that thing was that big! Your hand is in up to your forearm,” Daryl chuckled.

 

Carl came down the stairs and stopped as soon as he heard a weird noise. He listened and heard his dad and Daryl talking about fisting and things being squishy and gross then more noise. What the hell were they doing in there? When he heard his dad say I got it and heard another squelch he stepped into the doorway.

 

Rick was holding the dripping bag of giblets in the air triumphantly and Daryl was grinning from ear to ear. “You got em!” Daryl said excitedly. Rick looked like he had just rescued a kid from a burning building.

 

“What the hell are you doing?” Carl asked, horrified.

 

“Language,” both men said at the same time.

 

“You guys are so weird, ugh,” Carl sighed and practically ran out the door.

 

Both men cracked up again. “You’re drippin’ everywhere,” Daryl said grabbing a dish towel. “Open that bag and put them in a saucepan.”

 

Rick did as he was told. “Now what?”

 

“Put some water, salt and pepper in there then put it on the stove on medium.”

 

“What the hell are they even for?” Rick asked as he put the water in the pan.

 

“It’s what you use to make the gravy for the turkey,” Daryl explained.

 

“But my mom’s gravy never had that stuff in it.”

 

“Just trust me darlin’. It will all make sense when it’s done.”

 

Rick was grinning like an idiot he was so happy. “I trust you.” He leaned in for a kiss but Daryl backed away.

 

“Nope, we gotta finish the turkey and get it on first then you get a kiss.” Daryl got the butter, salt, and pepper out. He opened a stick of butter and broke it up in Rick’s hand. “Stick your hand under the skin and rub the breast with butter. Don’t look at me like that just do it,” he ordered.

 

Rick did as instructed and rubbed one side with butter than the other. “Ok I’ve played with his boobs and they are well lubed and firm, now what?”

 

Daryl laughed and shook his head then poured some salt and pepper in Rick’s hand. “Now season him up.”

 

“So basically Thanksgiving is a spa day for Turkeys?” Rick asked, seriously.

 

Daryl was so shocked by the question all he could say was, “Huh?”

 

“Well he’s been fisted, lubed and now exfoliated and we are going to put him in a sauna,” Rick smirked.

 

Daryl laughed and shook his head, “You ain’t right man. Pick the turkey up and put it in the pan, breast down.” Once the bird was safe in the pan Daryl put the stuffing in then covered it and stuck it in the oven.

 

They cleaned up the sink and Rick then set to work on the rest of dinner. Rick peeled potatoes while Daryl put the green beans on. It took them a few hours but they finally had everything for the dinner going. Maggie and Beth were going to bring the deserts so now all they had to do was wait until everything is done.

 

Rick pulled Daryl into his arms and kissed him passionately. “Thank you for doing this Daryl. It means a lot to me and the kids.”

“I know tradition is important to you and I’ve never had a holiday like this before so it’s a new tradition for me too. And I don’t know if you noticed this or not but I sorta like you and your kids a little,” he smirked and leaned in for another kiss.

 

Later that night after everyone arrived they all sat down for dinner. Rick watched as his family and friends all filled their plates and talked happily. He blinked back tears as he watched Daryl put some green beans on Judith’s tray and helped her take a bite. His daughter squealed in delight at the attention the other man was giving her. Carl was laughing at something Sophia had said and Carol was talking animatedly to Hershel. Maggie and Glenn were giving each other googly eyes and Beth was shaking her head at Shane who was tossing pieces of bread in the air and catching them in his mouth.

 

“Hey, you alright?” Daryl asked softly.

 

“Never been better,” he smiled and squeezed Daryl’s hand. He had never been happier in his life.


End file.
